What’s happening?
The final round of pool fixtures in the Investec Champions Cup will be played across this weekend, deciding the final standings ahead of the Round of 16.
What’s at stake?
The top four teams from each of the four pools will proceed to the Round of 16 – eight knock-out fixtures to be played over the weekend of April 4th-6th, with the winners of those fixtures taking a spot in the quarter-finals.
Finishing positions in the pools will have a role to play in the Round of 16 pairings and who gets home advantage. The 16 clubs that qualify will be ranked based on their pool position and points earned in the pool stages to determine their Round of 16 opponent.
Leinster win in La Rochelle - grit or alarm bells?
The top-ranked team will play the 16th-ranked, the second-ranked team will play the 15th-ranked, and so on. The top eight teams (the winners and runners-up from the pool stages) will have home advantage for the Round of 16 games.
Meanwhile, the fifth-place finishers from each pool will head to the Challenge Cup’s Round of 16.
How are the provinces looking?
There’s been mixed fortunes for the three provinces involved.
Leinster rule the roost in Pool 2, unbeaten in their three games to date. Qualification for the Round of 16 is in the bag, as is home advantage. But home advantage all the way to the final is the prize for Leinster so they will be looking to secure a bonus-point win against Bath at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening to claim one of the top two overall qualification spots, that will guarantee a home run to the final in Cardiff.
Munster, helped by their 17-12 win over Saracens on Saturday, sit second in Pool 3, but there’s little breathing room between the top four. Saracens are level with Munster on 10 points, the Irish province taking the higher ranking on points difference, but said difference is only a single point. Castres are fourth on nine points, while Northampton – who host Munster on Saturday – lead the pool with 11 points. The packed bunch means there’s plenty of opportunity for a shake-up by close of business on Sunday.
And lastly is Ulster, whose race in the Champions Cup is all but run. Yet to pick up a single point in the competition, they’re fifth in Pool 1, above only Exeter (who they face on Friday) on points difference. While a bonus-point win would see them level on points with fourth-placed Sharks (should the South African side fail to pick up a point against Bordeaux Bègles on Sunday), to earn that coveted fourth slot Richie Murphy’s side would need to drastically improve their points differential. Unfortunately, the technical possibility doesn’t stack up to reality, but hold on to fifth and they’ll get a crack at the Challenge Cup.
Has there been any squad news from the provinces?
So far, only Munster have issued an injury update after last weekend’s outings.
Peter O’Mahony could be back in time for the Northampton game, with a decision on his availability to be made later this week, while Mark Donnelly has returned to full training following an ankle injury. Shane Daly will miss out after failing a HIA during their win over Saracens.
We’ll keep you posted on Leinster and Ulster’s team news when it lands.
When are the provinces playing and where can I watch the games?
Friday
Ulster v Exeter, Kingspan Stadium, 8.0 – Live on Premier Sports 1.
Saturday
Northampton v Munster, Franklin’s Gardens, 3.15 – Live on Premier Sports 2.
Leinster v Bath, Aviva Stadium, 5.30 – Live on RTÉ 2 & Premier Sports 1.
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